Hue is a beautiful historic city in central Vietnam, only a 3 hours train ride from Da Nang. I spent a good 4 nights in Hue, so in this article, I will share with you my opinion about how many days in Hue is enough, and my suggested Itinerary for 2 to 3 days in Hue.
Hue was the ancient capital of Vietnam for nearly 2 centuries from 1802 to 1945. It was where the last imperial of Vietnam, The Nguyen Dynasty, lived before the Ho Chi Minh period. When visiting Hue, you can explore the old royal citadel, pagodas, and many royal tombs. You can use Hue as the base to take day trips to DMZ, Bach Ma National Park, or Phong Nha.
How many days in Hue is enough?
I personally think 2 to 3 days is a good amount of time to spend in Hue. With this time, you can spend 1 full day exploring the city’s attractions like imperial palace, temples, and tombs. Then depending on your interest, you can spend extra days for day trips to Bach Ma National Park, DMZ, or Phong Nha.
During my 3 days and 4 nights in Hue, I spent:
- 1 full day in Hue city
- 1 full day in Bach Ma National Park
- 1 full day just taking the heritage train from Hue to Da Nang, doing some shopping, and coming back. (FYI, Before Hue, I already visited Da Nang, I just wanted to experience this train and enjoy the view from Hai Van Pass).
For those who have only one day in Hue, I think it is best to use your time to explore the city itself, visiting temples, royal palaces and tombs. You can try local foods and enjoy its lively nightlife in the walking street area in Phu Hoi ward.
If you are nature lovers and you like hiking, you can take a full day trip to Bach Ma National Park. It has a nice hike through the five lakes, then to the top of Do Quyen waterfall.
If you are into history, you can take a tour about the DMZ, which was a war-free buffer between North and South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. You will visit historical sites such as Quang Tri Citadel, Hien Luong Bridge, Vinh Moc Tunnels, and Khe Sanh. I skipped this tour because I wasn’t interested in it at the time I was in Hue.
If you don’t plan to stay in Phong Nha, and you are into the cave, you can consider taking day trips to Phong Nha/ Paradise Cave from Hue. Most day trips to Phong Nha will drive though Quang Tri Province, where the tour guide will give you information about the DMZ area but they don’t stop in these spots.
How to Spend 2 to 3 days in Hue – Leisure Itinerary
Day 1: Hue City – royal palace, tombs, and temples.
I spent this first day visiting Hue Imperial Palace, Thien Mu pagoda, as well as royal tombs such as Minh Mang, Khai dinh, and Tu Duc. I tried local dishes, and visited the nightlife areas of Hue.
Hue citadel is located across Huong River from Hue city center. Most visitors stay in the city center in Phu Hoi ward area. From this area, you can walk along the bank of Huong river, head to Trang Tien bridge to the old city side. Before heading to the imperial palace, you can take a look at the Dong Ba Market for a glimpse of local life.
You can buy a ticket to Hue Imperial Palace at the entrance. The ticket is 200,000 VND/adult. I bought a combo ticket (530,000VND) for both the Palace and other 3 tombs including Minh Mang tomb, Khai dinh tomb, and Tu Duc tomb. This ticket is valid in two days.
You can spend a couple of hours exploring the Old Citadel including the gates, halls, and temples. I explore the complex at my own pace, but you can consider taking a guided tour which will give you more information about this forbidden city. It is where the Nguyen Dynasty lived from 1802 to 1945.
There is a cafe at one of the gates where you can take a break, have a drink, and have some last view of the area before leaving. The weather can be hot and humid, so bring enough water with you, and wear a hat!
After visiting the old citadel, I took a Grab bike and headed to Thien Mu pagoda, one of the top attractions in Hue. It is 5 km away, and Grab was easy to catch from the citadel. Thien Mu is one of the oldest pagodas in Hue, located on a small hill on the bank of Huong River. You can take a stroll around and spend 30 mins to 1 hour here. It is free to visit.
Time to visit the tombs that were included in my combo ticket: Minh Mang, Khai Dinh, and Tu Duc. Minh Mang is further away, so I decided to visit this tomb first, then Khai Dinh, and Tu Duc. Since I don’t drive, I have to look for a Grab bike again. It was difficult as it is far from the city center.
Some drivers first accepted my ride then canceled. I tried again and again, and luckily got someone nearby to accept it. You can probably get the taxi if there is no luck for Grab at the time requested.
Minh Mang tomb is located in a remote area, 13 km away from Thien Mu pagoda. Minh Mang was the 2nd King of the Nguyen Dynasty. You can spend an hour or two here exploring the complex. There are onsite cafes outside and inside the entrance area where you can have a drink and a meal.
Getting a taxi/ Grab out of Minh Mang tomb is another challenge as it is in a really remote area. I just sit at the cafe outside, wait for a driver to drop off the passengers, and come to ask if they’re available to take me to Khai Dinh tomb.
Khai Dinh tomb is located closer to the city center, and is around 10 km from Minh Mang Tomb. The taxi ride cost me 80,000VND. Khai Dinh was the 12th king of the Nguyen Dynasty. You can spend an hour here. I personally think it is a nice place and worth a visit.
Catching Grab taxis from Khai Dinh tomb to Tu Duc tomb was easier, as this tomb has more visitors and more drivers. I didn’t see any Grab bikes though. Tu Duc tomb is the closest tomb to the city center, and you can spend a couple of hours exploring this complex. Tu Duc was the 4th emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty. Thuy Xuan Incense-making Village is nearby, so you can have a look.
I came back to the city center when it was almost dark. I tried some local dishes such as com hen, bun bo hue, combo cake (banh nam, banh beo, banh loc, banh ram it, banh khoai).
I also took a stroll along the walking areas of Phu Hoi ward around streets of Vo Thi Sau, Chu Van An, Pham Ngu Lao. There were lots of bars with outside settings, ice cream shops, and restaurants along the way. Further away, you can take a look at the walking area on Hai Ba Trung street, which caters more to local people.
In terms of accommodations, I recommend staying between Nguyen Cong Tru street and Hung Vuong street in Phu Hoi Ward. There are many hotels, homestays, and guest houses on the main road and its small alleys.
I stayed at White Lotus Hue Hotel (good mid-range hotel), Hue Four Seasons Hotel (good budget option), and Jade Scene Hotel. I also stayed at Hue Nino Hotel but don’t recommend this place. I had a bad experience with it from room, location, to the honesty of the owner.
Day 2: Day trips to Bach Ma National Park (option 1)
Bach Ma National Park is a must-see in Hue for nature lovers and those who want a bit of hiking while in Hue. It is 40km from Hue center, so it requires a full day to explore this park.
My hotel Jade Scene helped to book the tour. It cost 800,000VND including lunch. The driver and guide picked me up around 9am. The car took us to the top and we had some good views of Hue and Hai Van pass.
The most interesting part of this tour is probably the hike through Ngu Ho (Five Lakes), then stop for lunch, and swim at one of the lakes. The hike sometimes is slippery and steep, so bring a good pair of shoes with you.
Day 2: Day trips to Phong Nha Cave/ Paradise Cave (option 2)
If exploring the caves is your thing and you don’t plan to stay in Phong Nha, you can consider taking day trips to Phong Nha Cave or Paradise Cave. These are famous caves in Vietnam, located in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National park, 4 hours drive from Hue.
This tour usually passes historical sights in the DMZ zone such as Doc Mieu FireBase, Hien Luong Bridge, Ben Hai River, and Vinh Moc Tunnels. The guide will give you a brief history about this area.
Day 2: Day trips/ Half Day trips to DMZ (option 3)
If you are interested in the history of Vietnam, you can take tours about the Demilitarized Zone – DMZ area. There are options for full day tours or half day tours.
Popular points of interest in the tour include Lavang Holy land, Hien Luong Bridge, Vinh Moc tunnels, and Ben Hai River.
Day 2: Take heritage train to Da Nang and back (option 4)
Even though I stayed and visited Da Nang before Hue, I was still interested in taking the heritage train from Hue to Da Nang vice versa. It is said to be one of the best train rides in Vietnam, taking you to the beautiful Hai Van Pass and Lang Co beach.
There are two heritage trains from Hue to Da Nang including HD1 (7:35am) and HD3 (14:25). From Da Nang to Hue, you can also find two trains, HD 2(7:50am) and HD4 (14:50 pm). I went to Hue station to buy a ticket for the 7:35 train and get back from Da Nang by another train at 14:50 pm.
It was a 3 hour ride on the train, and I had a couple of hours to do shopping in Da Nang at Vincom and have lunch at a local restaurant near Da Nang train station. You can also try local food on the train as they have a carriage that sells local food.
The best seats for Da Nang – Hue are 32,40,41, and 49. Best seats for Hue – Da Nang are 8,16,17,and 25. These are window seats with full windows, so you’ll have the best views from the train.
If you are looking for where to stay in Hue, you can check this article:
- Best places to stay in Hue
- 12 Best Things to Do & See in Hue
- Best months to Visit Hue
- 10 Best Family Hotels in Hue
- One Day in Hue Itinerary
I summarize how long should you spend in Hue in this video, you can watch it here:
These are my itinerary for my 4 nights and 3 days in Hue. If you have only one day, you can visit Hue city with the royal palace, Thien Mup pagodas, tombs, and try local foods. If you have more days, let’s say 2 to 3 days, you can take day trips to the nearby DMZ, or Phong Nha, or Bach Ma national park depending on your interests. You can even take a tourist train to Da Nang like me. I hope you have a fun trip in Hue.